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[Kristof]

A 49-year-old woman from Germany died Wednesday after riding Walt Disney World's Mission:Space ride, the second death in less than a year associated with the signature thrill ride.
The woman died at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where she was taken Tuesday after becoming sick following the mock space flight at Epot, according to a statement released late Wednesday by the theme park.

"We learned today that her condition had become very serious, and this evening we were notified she passed away," the statement said in part.

About midday Wednesday, Disney officials called the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection to report the woman's condition.

They said the woman got off the ride and was dizzy, nauseated and generally not feeling well, said Terence McElroy , spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the fair rides bureau.

Disney also told state inspectors that the woman may have suffered from high blood pressure and other health problems, McElroy said.

About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Disney officials called the state agency again to say the woman's condition was grave, and the ride was going to be shut down immediately. It had been operating normally, Disney officials told the fair bureau.

A department field inspector was sent out about 7 p.m. Wednesday to observe Disney's routine checks of the ride, McElroy said.

Florida's largest amusement parks, including Walt Disney World, are exempt from state regulations that require mandatory reporting of injuries and give the state authority to shut down and inspect rides. Disney voluntarily submits to safety inspections.

A report on the status of the ride would not be available until at least Thursday McElroy said.

Disney did not release the German tourist's identity or other details about the incident.

"I don't have permission from the guests to release any information," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said Wednesday night.

Up to 160 customers at a time can ride the giant centrifuge which spins them at 2 G-forces, or twice the force of Earth's gravity, on the fantasy flight to Mars. Numerous signs advise anyone suffering from heart disease and other illnesses not to board the ride.

Concerns about the safety of the 4-minute ride were first raised when it opened in August 2003 and some riders complained of dizziness and nausea.

In December that year, motion-sickness bags were added to the "capsules" to prevent cleanup-related delays.

The death in June 2005 of 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye renewed safety concerns when he collapsed while riding with his mother and sister.

An autopsy showed the child died from a rare, undiagnosed heart disease unrelated to the ride, according to Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia.

Bamuwamye's parents asked Disney to raise the ride's minimum height requirement from 44 to 51 inches to exclude young children, but Disney declined.

A review of ambulance records by the Orlando Sentinel showed medical attention was sought by only 143 of more than 8.6 million people who took the ride before Bamuwamye's death. Disney posts paramedics within a 2-minute golf cart ride of Mission: Space.

In its written statement about Wednesday's death, Disney stated, "First and foremost, our concern is for the guest's family. We offer them our deepest sympathies and assistance during this difficult time."

[Dlrpfan]

It was constently on the news over there and barely enyone was riding the coaster

[Kristof]

It's not a coaster.  It's basically a rotating ball, like they use for astronaut training.

[Dlrpfan]

Thinking abnout it i dont no wwhy i put coaster!

[Kristof]

:lol:   Did you like Mission Space??  'Cause we did it only once, I was shakey on my legs all evening...

[Dlrpfan]

i did it last year 3 times and chucked up in the evening!
And I have done Everest 6 times too!
Anyway the whole park was talking about it and everyone was warning everyone who entered

[Kristof]

I won't do it ever again.  Although I have to admit I like the outside building, especially at night.

[Anthony]

I feel sorry for Epcot.  People seem to hate Test Track more each day, Soarin' is a great success but is punished with unbearable queues, Mission Space keeps having these problems...  I really hope they've got something good planned for its 25th.

As for Mission Space itself, I've never really seen the point of the attraction.  It just seems like such a dull concept.  Lol, ok, so flying to Mars is pretty unique, but was it worth them greenlighting this massive attraction for a simulator that actually seems to lag far behind the complexity of Star Tours?  The ride experience just looks so flat and boring.  You don't really "go" anywhere, it's a space simulator and that's it... it seems so lifeless and uninspired.  There's no characters like there are at Star Tours, no humour, nothing...  It's just bland.

I should point out that I've never been on the ride, but after seeing it covered extensively on the internet, it just seems to be bad in every way (except for the exterior, as Raptor said).  It's like a little bit of the "let's try and be hip and cool for teens!" vibe that built DCA slipped into Epcot...

Which makes me even more sad to hear of this tragic loss of life.  

[Dlrpfan]

talkin about the 25th, We asked a couple of cast members about it and they didnt even no it was the 25th next year! Looks  like nothing has been planned yet (the long wait continues)

[Anthony]

talkin about the 25th, We asked a couple of cast members about it and they didnt even no it was the 25th next year! Looks  like nothing has been planned yet (the long wait continues)

That's a shame.  I guess it's quite late for them to be able to actually open anything new for the 25th now anyway.  I just hope they make some nice announcements about Epcot's future or something...

[Kristof]

People seem to hate Test Track more each day, Soarin' is a great success but is punished with unbearable queues

Test Track is far much better compared to Soarin'!

[Mansion Staff]

baiscally what this says to me is,
if you dont think you'd be able for it, dont ride it!

[kate]

mission:space now has another dimension. at the entrance to the ride you choose if you want to go green or orange (orange is original version and green doesn't spin)  this way people who found the original too intense can still ride.

the initial feedback has been really good and the green has been very popular.  they have 4 pods - 1 is green 3 are orange but if the queues for green get too long they can also switch one of the oranges to green.